Beef, onions, and bell peppers marinating in the stout
This chili has bold flavors without being overly spicy, and you can control the heat with the amount of cayenne and chili powder you add. The tender chunks of beef are a big improvement over ground beef in other chilies. If you want to call this a Texas Stout Chili, you can skip the beans.
I use Guinness Draught Stout, but you can probably use any Stout or Porter for this recipe. You need a strong beer to add flavor to the beef.
1# dry black beans (or 4 cans of black beans, drained)
Water, salt, baking soda (skip with canned beans)
5 lbs stewing beef cut into ½ – 1 inch cubes
2 – 12 oz bottle of Guinness Stout
1 onion – coarse chopped
1 Bell, Anaheim, or Poblano pepper, chopped
1/3 cup oil
5 cloves of fresh minced garlic
28-32 oz stewed tomatoes, or 6-8 fresh tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
28-32 oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1-4 tbsp cayenne pepper to taste
1-4 tbsp chili powder to taste
3 small cans of tomato paste
1/4 – 1/2 cup of molasses or sorghum syrup
¼ cup Brown Sugar, to taste
4 tbsp cornstarch mixed with ½ cup of cool water
Instructions
Soak the beans overnight in 4 quarts of water. Add 3 tablespoons of salt and a ½ tsp of baking soda to help flavor and soften the beans.
Marinate the beef, onions & peppers in the stout overnight (or for at least 2 hours).
The next day, drain and rinse the beans and put them into your stock pot.
Strain the stout from the meat, onions and peppers and add to the beans.
Add the tomatoes and sauce to the beans and begin to simmer.
Add the oregano, cumin, salt, cayenne, and chili powder to the beans.
Add oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high.
Brown the beef, onions and pepper in the skillet; you will have to work in batches. Add them to the beans as they get done. Be sure to deglaze the pan when done if there is any fond built up on the bottom – there is a lot of flavor there to add back to the chili!
Add the garlic to the last batch of meat to bloom the flavor.
Add the molasses, brown sugar, and tomato paste to the chili.
Simmer for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally; add water if the mixture gets to thick.
Make a slurry of the cornstarch and cool water and add to thicken 30 minutes before serving.
For the best flavor, remove from the heat and let it cool, cover and refrigerate over night to allow the flavors to blend.
Reheat in a crock pot the next day, then serve with chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
